The pioneering programme will see the Dying Matters Coalition working with the Chief Nurse of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and her team on a compassionate care training programme over three years.
The aim is that all 6,000 nurses across the trust’s three hospitals – Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull – and their community services will be better placed to care for and support people at the end of their lives.
The partnership will also be developing an improved compassionate employment programme aimed at supporting staff in the trust who are affected by end of life issues.
Mandie Sunderland, Chief Nurse at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The delivery of high quality care to patients and their families at the end of life is of utmost importance to us.
“Compassion is a key quality of being a nurse and here at Heart of England we are committed to supporting our nurses to be the best they can possibly be. We are excited to be working with Dying Matters on this innovative project which will assist our staff in improving the support we provide for patients and their families.”
Eve Richardson, Chief Executive of National Council for Palliative Care and the Dying Matters Coalition, said: “We are delighted to be working in such an innovative way with Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust to support compassionate care for people who are dying and their families.
“High quality compassionate nursing is critical at the end of life, both to the person who is dying and to their family, which is why this three-year programme is so important. It’s only by talking more openly about our wishes and the support that we will all need at the end of our their lives and by recording this that we will be successful in ensuring people get the compassionate care we all need, where and when we need it.”
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